Common Questions About COPD Answered

Related

Robert T. Schreiber, MD, is an American Lung Association in New York expert.

COPD can be a tough condition to understand — and to live with. Find out what you need to know about this chronic condition. In this program, you'll get advice on how to best manage COPD from an expert in the field: Dr. Robert T. Schreiber, a pulmonary medicine specialist at Nassau Chest Physicians in Massapequa, New York. You'll hear about what COPD is, get tips for managing COPD day to day, find out how quitting smoking benefits COPD, learn about COPD treatment options, and more.

Carolynn Delany:
Welcome to this Everyday Health podcast, "Common Questions About COPD." I'm your host, Carolynn Delany. In order to make the most of your time at a doctor's appointment, it helps to write down a list of questions before you go. If you want to know more about chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, also known as COPD, we'll help you make your list of questions.

Joining us today is Dr. Robert Schreiber, a pulmonary medicine specialist at Nassau Chest Physicians and director of the surgical ICU at St. Francis Hospital in Roslyn, New York. Dr. Schreiber and Nassau Chest Physicians are also actively involved with the American Lung Association in New York. Thanks for being with us, Dr. Schreiber.

Dr. Robert T. Schreiber:
Glad to be here.

Carolynn Delany:
And I'm curious, do your patients ask you what a pulmonologist is?

Dr. Schreiber: Sometimes they do. A pulmonologist is a medical doctor who specializes in respiratory diseases. We take care of problems such as asthma, COPD, pneumonia, tuberculosis, and we also sometimes are the ones who diagnose lung cancers and help patients in their subsequent management.

Carolynn Delany:
Dr. Schreiber, let's start with the most surprising question you may not get but should.

Dr. Schreiber:
Well, COPD is the proper medical term for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease which covers the two entities chronic bronchitis and emphysema. Most patients don't know the term COPD, but this is what is more commonly being used now. When you tell patients they have COPD, most of the time they nod and they say, "Okay," and they go home, speak to their spouse, and tell them the doctor said I have COPD, and then the spouse says, "Well, what is that." They say, "I don't know."

Whereas I like the older term, which was emphysema. When you tell your patient, "Mr. Smith, you've got emphysema," a light bulb goes on right away, and they go, "Ah ha," and they go home to their spouse and they say, "What did the doctor say." "He said I've got emphysema." And they go, "Oh, no," and they really understand that's a disease where there's destruction of the sacs inside the lung. Whereas COPD, because most people aren't as familiar with it, it just doesn't have the same impact upon our patients.

Carolynn Delany:
What's the first question most of your COPD patients really want to know?

Dr. Schreiber:
Patients are concerned that this is a disease that is not reversible, that it's a progressive disease that could lead to serious problems down the road as well as their death. They're also concerned that they may be needing oxygen as things get worse. For most people, if they stop smoking, the disease will reverse somewhat, but most of the time it does not go back fully to normal. We don't regrow lung tissue. However, if they do stop smoking, most people will require less medicines, and they can function more easily than if they are unable to stop smoking.

Carolynn Delany:
I think the next question on my list would be is it treatable?

Dr. Schreiber:
All patients with COPD are treatable. The most important thing for them is to be diagnosed properly. Once they are, there are definitely medications that can be given to them, both inhaled and oral, that can help to open up the bronchial tubes and decrease mucus production.

Far and away the most important thing is to avoid further damage by not smoking and avoiding other irritants such as air pollution. There are other types of treatments that are available for patients, such as exercise, and some people even go to a structured form of exercise called pulmonary rehabilitation. Of course proper nutrition and rest is essential for all patients with COPD.

Carolynn Delany:
Along with the treatments are there other aids that might benefit a patient with COPD?

Dr. Schreiber:
Well, some of our patients who have more advanced disease may need oxygen. It's frequently very scary for these people to use oxygen, and they've seen other people out at restaurants or movie theaters using oxygen, and when people are diagnosed with COPD, many people think that means that they will be wearing oxygen later on in their lives. But luckily most people don't need oxygen. It's usually reserved for patients who have very advanced disease.

Carolynn Delany:
What's one last piece of advice that you give your patients with COPD?

Dr. Schreiber:
It's essential for patients with COPD to give up smoking. COPD is a disease where smoke has typically caused major damage in the lungs and by continuing to smoke there will be more and more damage that occurs, which will hasten people's deaths and make it harder to control their disease in association with their doctor's care. It works against their medications. So the number one thing patients with COPD need to do is to never smoke again.

Carolynn Delany:
Thanks very much for being with us today, Dr. Schreiber.

Dr. Schreiber:
Oh, it's my pleasure to have been here with you, Carolynn.

This site complies with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information: verify here.

Advertising Notice

This Site and third parties who place advertisements on this Site may collect and use information about
your visits to this Site and other websites in order to provide advertisements about goods and services of
interest to you. If you would like to obtain more information about these advertising practices and to make
choices about online behavioral advertising, please click here.